Bermuda has unearthed some unlikely sporting heroes over the years but surely few as unlikely as Antonio Pierce.

Mention of his name this time last year would have meant next to nothing.

Now, following one outstanding season in the NFL, he?s enjoying superstar status ? and all the trappings that go with it.

His move from the Washington Redskins to the New York Giants last week in a $33 million deal will have turned his life upside down.

From relative obscurity, the 24-year-old Bermudian has become one of the biggest names in the game. A $6.5 million dollar signing bonus and a 1000 percent pay rise has, financially at least, set him up for life.

How someone like Shaun Goater would have loved a deal like that.

Top footballers in Europe can?t earn that kind of money in a lifetime, let alone in a single transfer.

It remains to be seen, however, whether Pierce will be embraced by Bermudians in the same way as they embraced Goater.

Unlike the big striker, he is isn?t someone locals can readily identify with. If he walked down Front Street today it?s unlikely anybody would recognise him.

He was wasn?t born here and the sport in which he?s made his name isn?t played here, although NFL does have a strong local following.

On the flip side, his father is Bermudian and still lives here, and Antonio, both as a schoolboy and since, has spent many of his vacations on the Island.

Given Bermudians? love of all sports, there?s no reason why he shouldn?t be afforded the same recognition as our other top performers.

But at the moment the jury?s still out.

Perhaps a year from now we?ll find out. Now that professionals are eligible for Government?s annual sports awards, he must already be a shoo-in for the Male Athlete of the Year.

ON that subject, belated thanks to Director of Sport Brenton Roberts for pointing out recently that the simple reason cricketer Clay Smith wasn?t considered for this year?s Athlete of the Year Award was that he wasn?t nominated.

That explains the glaring omission, but it hardly rectifies the situation.

Bermuda Cricket Board apparently refused to nominate Smith for the award, despite an outstanding summer, because of disciplinary issues.

How bizarre is that?

Smith is apparently good enough to captain the national team and lead Bermuda?s charge into this summer?s ICC Trophy, but not good enough to be honoured in the sports awards.

The BCB can?t have it both ways.

Disciplinary issues aside, if they considered Smith suitable to skipper the national team ? a position that requires leadership both on and off the field ? then surely they should also have considered him worthy of representing the sport at the national awards.

Seemingly they didn?t. And that smacks of hypocrisy.

THANKFULLY, as regards the position of national cricket coach, the BCB seem to have got it right . . . finally!

Confirmation this week of the appointment of West Indian Gus Logie will surely be welcomed by all those involved in the sport.

Logie?s played and coached at the highest level and can only enhance Bermuda?s chances of qualifying for the World Cup this summer.

Yet he finds himself in an almost identical position as his fellow West Indian Mark Harper who was offered the same role at the same time four years ago.

Like Harper, Logie has precious little time to work with the squad.

A training camp in Trinidad early next month will give him his first chance to look over the team and examine the various strengths and weaknesses.

After that there?ll likely be as few as half a dozen warm-up matches to iron out the wrinkles before play begins in earnest in Ireland.

Given that most teams Bermuda will play in the ICC Trophy have been working with full-time coaches for the last four years or more, Logie?s battle to ensure qualification still remains very much uphill.